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Initiations (episode)
Chakotay becomes caught up in a young Kazon's rite of passage. Summary :"First Officer's personal log, stardate 49005.3. The captain has granted me the use of a shuttlecraft so that I may perform the pakra, a solitary ritual commemorating the anniversary of my father's death." Commander Chakotay has asked Captain Janeway for the use of a shuttlecraft so that he can perform a ritual on the anniversary of his father's death. While praying to speak to his father, the shuttlecraft drifts into Kazon-Ogla space. The main Kazon ship picks the shuttlecraft up on their scanners, and sends a young Kazon boy called Kar to destroy it and thus earn his Ogla name. The commander outmaneuvers the small Kazon ship which Kar is on. When realizing that Kar is most likely on his own on that small ship and unconscious, Chakotay beams him onto his ship before the small Kazon ship explodes. Soon the main Kazon ship arrives and tractors the shuttlecraft into their hanger, Kar is to be killed because he failed to kill the Federation officer, which means that he shall never earn his name in life or in death. Eventually Kar is brought into another room with Chakotay where the First Maje, Razik, expects Chakotay to kill Kar. Grabbing a Kazon weapon Chakotay drops it, then swiftly picks it up, and crashes into Razik and escapes with Kar. Shortly after they leave the Kazon ship they come under fire and are forced to transport to a nearby moon. That night, while Chakotay pretends to be asleep Kar steps over him with his weapon drawn, but throws it aside, unable to kill the man that spared his life. Chakotay tells him there is nothing different between his Starfleet uniform and Kar's name, as he had to earn it. The young Kazon inquires about how he acquired the uniform, and Chakotay says that he spent years studying science, starships, and navigation. Soon arrives and Janeway leads an away team comprised of her people and some Kazon who claim they are there to help them search for Chakotay. When the group arrives at Chakotay's location, Kar comes to realize he will not earn his name by killing the Federation officer but instead he kills Razik, allowing Haliz to become the new First Maje. Haliz pronounces that Kar has earned his Kazon name, and they allow Voyager to leave peacefully. Back on Voyager, Chakotay prays to his father, asking him to watch over him and Kar. Memorable Quotes "Look, son. My starship is only a few light years away." "I am not your son, Federation. I am your executioner!" : - Chakotay and Kar "Computer, damage report." "Long-range communications, lateral sensor array and aft shields are off-line." "Great!" : - Chakotay and The Computer "You should have let me die." "I'm not in the habit of killing children." : - Kar and Chakotay "Why are you so eager for me to kill you?" : - Chakotay, to Kar "Why did you save him? It's a very ineffective way of waging war." : - Razik, to Chakotay about saving Kar "You would rather die in your sleep, a wrinkled old man?" "Sounds about right." : - Kar and Chakotay "You won't stop me from earning my name, Federation." "Not Federation! Chakotay. That's my name." : - Kar and Chakotay Background Information * This was the first episode for Star Trek: Voyager that executive story editor Kenneth Biller wrote alone. * While working on the episode, Biller described the story as "the Kazon put a hit out on Chakotay." (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, issue #3, p. 50) * One of the motives that Kenneth Biller had for writing this episode was to give Chakotay some more action scenes, similar to how the character had been portrayed in . "He's like a real action hero in the pilot," Biller remarked, "and I think we need to give him some action stories–which I'm hoping to do in 'Initiations'." (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, issue #3, p. 52) * While plotting this episode, Kenneth Biller wrote an elaborate sociological backstory for the Kazon, such as their history and customs. The episodes that this article benefited included not only this one but also , a later episode of the second season (a season that is, in and of itself, Kazon-centric). Michael Piller commented, "That document came out of the research that Ken did for 'Initiations.' He felt it would be valuable - because we were going to invest a whole season into these guys - to provide writers with a clear backstory so everybody would be working from the same page. I think it influenced the season greatly. It was an enormous contribution." Of the paper, Jeri Taylor said, "It was quite thoughtful and very well worked out, and Kazon looked quite interesting in that paper." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages) * Aron Eisenberg (Kar) is much better known for his role as the Ferengi Nog on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was cast in this episode after a difficult casting process and, ultimately, executive producer Jeri Taylor thought he was too recognizable in the role of Kar. Taylor recalled, "We gave ourselves a very difficult task by writing a part for a fourteen-year-old young man. We ended up casting Aron Eisenberg, who plays Nog on ''Deep Space Nine, and more people were aware of that than I would have thought. He didn't look anything the same, but he has a very distinctive voice. It broke the suspension of disbelief and made people say not, 'Oh, there's a young man in pain,' but, 'Oh, it's Nog from Deep Space Nine.' As soon as the mind is doing that, it's not involved in the story. Aron is a wonderful actor, and we cast him because the boys that we read were simply not able to bring to it the richness and the depth that we wanted. We got the good actor, but we got a recognizable one." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages) * Aron Eisenberg had a very pleasant acting experience on this episode. At the 2001 ''Galaxy Ball charity ''Star Trek'' convention - organized by Chakotay actor Robert Beltran - Eisenberg was asked to name his favorite Voyager actor and replied, "This is gonna sound like brown-nosing, but Robert Beltran. We had such fun on the episode 'Initiations. " (Star Trek Magazine issue 89, p. 30) * Aron Eisenberg and Patrick Kilpatrick (Razik) later appeared together in the DS9 episode , also directed by Winrich Kolbe. Tim de Zarn (Haliz) also appeared on DS9, in the episode . * This was actually the first episode produced for ''Voyager'' s second season. The previous episode, , was filmed as part of Season 1. * The outdoor scenes of this episode were shot on location at Vasquez Rocks National Area Park. http://www.filminamerica.com/Movies/StarTrek/Voyager * Regarding her opinion of the episode in general, Jeri Taylor noted, "I thought it was reasonably successful." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages) * The new TR-590 Tricorder X and the redesigned type 2 phaser appear for the first time in this episode, although how Voyager was able to procure these newer models when it was cut off from the Federation was never explained. * This was the first episode in which a shuttlecraft from Voyager was destroyed. * Chakotay's medicine bundle is lost, either destroyed along with his shuttle or pillaged by the Kazon-Ogla. Upon returning to Voyager, he uses what must be another replicated medicine bundle. * This is the first episode to show Tom Paris in command of Voyager in the absence of Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok. Video and DVD releases * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.1, . :CIC Video released the four season 1 "hold-over" episodes in their production order, as part of the first season release. This is the first episode in the second season release. Volume 2.1 continues with . * As part of the VOY Season 2 DVD collection. Links and references Starring * Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway Also starring * Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay * Roxann Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres * Jennifer Lien as Kes * Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris * Ethan Phillips as Neelix * Robert Picardo as The Doctor * Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok * Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim Guest Stars * Aron Eisenberg as Kar * Patrick Kilpatrick as Razik * Tim deZarn as Haliz Co-Star * Majel Barrett as Computer Voice Uncredited Co-Stars * Tarik Ergin as Ayala * Louis Ortiz as Culhane Stunt double * Tom Morga as stunt double for Patrick Kilpatrick References biomagnetic trap; Calogan dog; Code White resuscitation; disruptor snare; electroceramic; force field; goven; Jal; Kazon carrier vessel; Kazon-Ogla; Kazon-Relora; Kinell; medicine bundle; navigational scan; phaser; plaxan sensor; proton discharger; radiothermic interference; Tarok; type-8 shuttlecraft |next= }} de:Der Namenlose es:Initiations fr:Initiations nl:Initiations Category:VOY episodes